“I’m almost done editing the video of you making the pizza,” I added.
The man lived to cook, and well…fuck too. And he was damn talented in both disciplines. He’d given me orgasms three to five times a day in different places around the house. We hadn’t made it to a bed yet, and unfortunately, his bedroom seemed to be off limits. Not only had we never fucked in there, we'd also never actually slept together in a bed—mine included. Every night, Spiro would kiss me gently on the lips, say good night, then leave to his own room. Even when we nodded off together on the couch, he'd wake up and do the same thing. Every night, I would lie in my sheets rethinking the day and analyzing what I’d done wrong. How had I fucked up again? What had I done to make Spiro not want to sleep with me?
“It’s not just any pizza.” Spiro’s voice brought me back from my musings. He waved his tentacles theatrically, then continued mixing the pavlova he’d started making right after putting the pizza in the oven.
“Yes, it’s Chicago deep dish.” I said with a flair to match his. “I mentioned that during all the closeups of you filling the crust with meat, sauce, and soy-based cheese. All I need now is a shot of the finished product.”
“Excellent.” He held the bowl in his hand as he opened and closed the cabinets with his tentacles until he found something he needed. This man added a whole new level to the expression ‘multi-tasking.’
I had trouble recording only the parts for a post and not every dance-like move he made around the kitchen.
“It will mark the tenth video about your food. They all gathered decent interest, but the most repeated comments are about showing what you look like. I think everyone is intrigued after seeing your tentacles in, ahem, action.”
Spiro chuckled. “I’ll pose with the pizza if you want.”
“Really? I thought you didn’t want to show your face.”
“Yeah, but I also have no reason to hide.” He paused his multi-tasking and pursed his lips. “My eldest brother dealt with bullying online, so I was always apprehensive when it came to social media. But in the end, that video became a good memory for him, so I guess I shouldn’t care.” He offered me a smile and resumed mixing. “Fuck it.”
“Only if you’re sure.”
Spiro leaned over and kissed me briefly. “I am.”
I licked my bottom lip as if I could catch the kiss and hold it. Which was insane, since Spiro was right there. He wouldn’t be forever, though, so I treated every moment like the priceless memory it would soon become.
I mulled over what he’d said. “What was Nereus bullied for?”
“A video of him playing keyboard and synths got a lot of negative attention and put him off creating music for a while.” He shook his head. “Awful cyber cryptid bullying.”
“Oh! I saw that one!” I twitched my ears in excitement. “It resurfaced last year. But all I saw in it was that he’d always been so talented, so it was such luck that he joined the band. He fits in perfectly.”
Spiro narrowed his eyes playfully. “You know more about Swimming With the Sharks than you let on.”
“I’ve been listening to them since their debut album dropped when I was fifteen.” I swung my legs and my tail as I recalled doing homework to their music, playing it at house parties, and having their CD in my first beat-up car. “And I’ve seen them live three times. Not since Ner joined them, though, but I will catch their show one day.”
“Maybe we could—” Spiro cut himself off and looked at me with a panicked expression. It had been on his face only for a second when a beeping noise filled the kitchen and stole his attention. Spiro silenced the sound on the oven and began to clean up the counter. “I put the timer on early to give myself a chance to wrap up the pavlova, so the pizza will be ready in three minutes.” He had his processes calculated to perfection. “How do you want me to pose?”
I wished he’d finished his thought. Would he invite me to a concert? Would it be so bad to make him panic? I opened my video app and forced myself not to spiral. “Take it out as you normally would. I’ll start with a closeup of the oven as you open it, then the pizza, and at the end your face, and do a zoom out for more of you.”
Spiro nodded. “Okay. Should I take the apron off and put on a T-shirt or something?”
“Nah. You look perfect like that for the video.” I made a circular motion with my finger and he turned around, giving me a glimpse of his toned back and thighs with muscles flexing as he moved. Even his feet were shapely. Ugh, he was too gorgeous for words.
“But not perfect foryou?”
“Nope.” I smirked, seeing Spiro’s mock-hurt expression. “I’d rather you didn’t have the boxers on.”
“That can be arranged after you finish recording.”
“Really?” I looked up from my phone, where I’d been saving my progress on the video.
“I would be naked all the time if it was socially appropriate.” He chuckled. “Me and my brothers always got into trouble as teens for prancing around without a stitch of clothing on.”
“I call for a new rule when we’re in the house. No clothes unless necessary. Like the apron, which is for safety, so it would be allowed.”
“Deal.” Spiro reached for a towel and nodded at my phone. “Ready?”
He’d agreed just like that. Spiro rolled with the punches when it came to my ideas, and kept surprising me at every turn.
